Ruby Water
by Green Capricorn
Summary: Same coast, Same sea, another shark... if you can rewiew I'll be happy for some time.
1. Chapter 1

**RUBY WATER**

**(chapter 1)**

Imagine a little fish.

A little, orange, harmless fish that was swimming in the crystalline water of the ocean.

The fish lost his school and was wandering near the rocks of Californian coast. The water over its head was blue as a sapphire. The fish stopped near a block of white coral and begun to spin around it. He saw a multitude of other fish, red fish, blue and green fish, diamond bubbles, big seaweeds and then a strange thing. A black fish with two tails and two ending fins with two yellow cylinders on his back. It emitted bubbles from its mouth.

Then the orange fish got scared from another thing, a grey shark that obscured the light of the sun coming from above. It saw that the black thing was unaware of what was happening.

The little fish hided behind a rock when the great shark moved quickly towards the black thing.

The water that was blue as a sapphire was turned to red as a ruby.

*

"Killed by a shark? Are you sure?" said a nurse of the local city clinic.

"Yes he was…the poor diver." answered the doctor who made the autopsy.

"But, he wasn't so far of the coast. Is it possible that a shark come near the coast?"

"It's possible I'd say."

"That's not the answer I want! I'd prefer hearing you say _Oh, it's absolutely impossible_!"

"Miss, I'm not a marine biologist."

"Do you know who will investigate on what happened?"

"Miss, do you remember that I pay you for working, right? Anyway I've heard that the mayor sent two coast guards to control the situation."

*

The two guards (whose names were Evelyn and Gary) were out in the sea with their boat.

Gary was a young man with brown hair and green eyes, he was thin and quite tall. He was 31. Evelyn had brown hair too but her eyes was blue as ice and she could be called a "beautiful girl", she was 30. Even if they were dressed in the same way (of white) the two differed in their personalities: Gary wasn't what you call a brave and zealous man, on the contrary Evelyn was a determined woman that always did her duties without fail.

The two were on a medium size boat of the Coast Guard.

"I don't understand the reason why we are here in the middle of nothing…" asked Gary.

"Because we must find out if it's true that there is a shark in our waters…" answered Evenlyn, bored of her colleague's laziness.

Gary looked at the glimmering light on the surface of the green water.

"What kind of shark is it?"

Evelyn knew what reaction Gary would have had, she breathed in an then said "A great white."

"What?! And you want us to fish a monster like that? We haven't anything against sharks in this boat!"

"Calm down, today we'll simply attract it with a bait."

"Great idea. And tomorrow we'll be eaten!"

Evelyn went down the dock and came back with a bucket in which there was a lamb leg attached to a rope.

"Take it and throw it."

Gary took the leg and threw it as far as possible with disgust.

"Darn, my hands are all dirty of blood!"

"You can always wash them in the sea if you want…" laughed Evelyn.

"Very amusing."

The two sat down and waited. Evelyn stopped the boat engine and Gary watched the rope.

Nothing.

The leg was sinking and releasing its blood.

Nothing.

Gary yawned.

Nothing.

"So?"

The rope was pulled so strongly that the boat was pulled too.

"Finally!" shouted Evelyn.

"Finally?"

She turned on the engine and directed the boat to the coast.

As if they were in a film a black fin came out of the water and started to pursuit them.

"God, it's a real big…fish! Why is it following us?"

"Because we have its prey attached to the rope."

"I knew I should have become a mountain ranger…" said Gary.

The boat was struck again and after some seconds the shark emerged from the water swallowing the bait and cutting the rope in a great water and foam choreography. After that the shark disapperared in the depths of the ocean.

"It was at least five meters long!" shouted Gary.

"Ok, we have a problem…" said Evelyn coming back to the city.


	2. Chapter 2

_Chapter 2_

The boat returned to the harbour slowly and in sad manner.

Gary was looking the wide and Evelyn pulse was rushing. She arranged her hair thinking that it was so upsetting that Gary had reason on something. That shark was very frightening.

The boat reached the wooden dock and a man dressed of white was walking in their direction.

"So?" asked the man.

"Do you remind films about sharks that kill people?" answered Gary.

"Yes, and so?"

"So there's one of the actors in our waters!"

"Oh…"

"We must talk to the boss."

"Ok, follow me…"

Gary and Evelyn got off of the boat and the man guided them to their boss' office. The office was a cramped place with a wooden desk, reef photos, sea decorations and a window from which the sea was seen.

Evelyn knocked on the glass door and waited.

"Come in." said a pompous voice. The two entered.

Their boss looked like an old walrus: he was fat, with white whiskers and a short beard. As the others he was dressed of white but his belt was unlaced due to his big belly.

"Oh, good morning Evelyn, my dear! And…oh, it's you Gary…"

"Good morning, boss." replied the two.

"Have you discovered anything?"

"Well, nothing. In fact there's only an enormous white shark that swims peacefully along the coast." said Evelyn as if it was the most normal thing in the world.

"Ok…What? Did you really find it?"

"Yes."

"But the last shark we saw was in 1995!"

"And now there's one new for the nostalgic." said Evelyn.

"Perhaps we should call an expert to deal with it…" mumbled the boss.

"An expert of what?" asked Gary.

"An expert of rabbits, Gary. Obviously an expert of sharks!"

*

In the same time, not so far from the harbour, a group of brown seals was playing in the waves. The water was not so warm and a strong wind blew around. Then a big wave struck the group and pulled them in higher water. One of them was tired. It looked around in search of its companions. All had disappeared.

The seal worried. Another wave hit it and the animal spun.

Bubbles, foam, salty water, seaweeds and a great grey thing that quickly swam in its direction.

There were two tourists walking on the top of heightened rocks of the coast. They looked at the foamy water and noticed a strange red stain in the middle of the water.

*

"The _Carcharodon carcharias, _known also as the great white shark, is the world's largest predatory fish and also a master of underwater killing." said Donegal, the shark expert.

"Wow, I'm so happy to learn that…" commented Gary.

The coasts guard and the expert were meeting in the boss' office.

Donegal was a young man full of enthusiasm when he spoke about sharks. He had short blond hair, he was wearing glasses and scruffy wear. He wasn't too tall and he reached Gary's shoulder.

"How was made the one you saw?"

"Well, it was…black, big and…strong?"

"Mister, all great white sharks are like that. But if we are lucky it was an adult."

"Lucky? Are you happy to have a killing machine in the sea?" protested Gary.

"Oh yes, sharks are one of the most beautiful creatures of the sea…" said Donegal with a dreaming voice.

"I don't know if he would be so pleased if he encountered the shark when swimming…" whispered Evelyn to Gary.

"Do you know that these wonders can live more than fifty years?"

"And this too…but, we are more interested in how to knock it out."

"What? Do you want to…? You know that white sharks are in danger of extinction?"

"I'd prefer it than seeing me extinct!"

Donegal's expression changed and became full of anger.

"If you insist, I'll tell you how to…"

He didn't manage to finish the sentence that the man of the dock entered the office gasping and nearly breaking the glass. All the present's heads turned to look at him.

"Boss!"

"What's the matter, Victor?"

"Another…"

"Another what?"

"Another man was attacked!"


	3. Chapter 3

_Chapter 3_

"Who has been attacked?"

"A swimmer, near the beach…this morning…"

"Now calm down and breath. Is he dead?" asked the boss moving his arms up and down.

"No, he survived. He's hospitalised in the clinic."

"It means that the shark didn't eat…the poor…" mumbled Donegal.

Evelyn couldn't realize that Donegal was serious.

*

The boss sent Evelyn and Gary to gather some information about the shark from the attacked man.

The clinic was a simple building of bricks in front of the sea, near a sandy beach. The two were greeted by a blonde middle aged nurse dressed with cream and pink clothing.

"We are of the Coast Guard. We know that someone has been attacked by a shark today, can we ask him some questions?"

"Well, I don't know…he's resting now, but if you wait for a little time maybe…"

_A little time _meant one hour and twenty minutes and after that Gary fumed and said "I go to buy a newspaper!"

"What? Come back immediately! Gary! Gary?" shouted Evelyn in the same time that the nurse called her to go to see the man.

The victim was lying on a green bed and watching the sea over the window next to him. The man was at least fifty years old. One of his legs was wrapped in a white lint on which little stains of blood shaping an half moon were visible.

Evelyn and the nurse entered the room.

"Good morning, mister Jupiturn. There's a person that would like to talk with you."

The man turned his head and looked at Evelyn.

"About what?"

"About what happened this morning."

"If I must…" he sighed "Take a chair and listen to me."

Like a child that listen to a fairytale Evelyn sat down and waited for the report (also the nurse did, even if she already knew the story…).

"This morning there was a marvellous water. I've swum for years and that sea was a temptation, so I dived. It happened when I was coming back to the land. I was enjoying the last stroke of the water when I felt the most terrible pain of my life. As if twenty knives cut my flesh. Something (now I know what it was) pulled me underwater. I agitated, I waved, I tired to get the surface!"

Evelyn was listening everything and shaking her head as if she was at the cinema.

"I don't know how, but I opened the eyes and looked under. The water was red! It was horrible!" cried the man.

"Perhaps we should stop." said the nurse.

"Now that I reached this point let me hear the rest of the story."

"I looked and I saw it. I saw that terrible black eye and those terrible white jaws!"

_Ok, it wasn't an octopus _would have said Gary if he had been there.

"With the other leg I kicked its nose and miraculously it released me…but only to attack again!"

"_And_?" asked both ladies got from the report.

"I don't know what happened. I managed to swim to the beach and a man who was walking there helped me. I don't know were the shark went, but I didn't came back to ask it."

"Well, you are the luckiest person I've ever met!"

*

Evelyn exited the clinic and found Gary reading the newspaper on a bench.

"Gary, you are a…" she began but she was stopped by him.

"Read it."

Ebvelyn took the newspaper and saw a capital letter title saying _Shark freed, coming terror_.

"What does it mean?"

"Read it, I say!"

"Ok, I've understood!"

_Monterey Bay Aquarium is under shock. An unknown hand has broken the seals of the tank of a great white shark. The shark was there to be studied by scientist, in fact some features of this sea creature are still unknown. The shark has been housed for a week and two days ago someone entered the Aquarium and released the shark in the Pacific ocean. Who? Perhaps a "shark fanatic" or a mad person. The problem stays in the fact that the shark represents a danger for swimmers and divers. The manager of the Aquarium says…_

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" asked Evelyn.

"Do you want an ice cream too?"

"No! I speak about the shark!"

"Oh…well, perhaps that shark is our shark."

"Yes, Monterey is not far from here."

"Fantastic! There's not only a killing shark that swims peacefully in the sea, but now there's also a fool that freed it!" shouted Gary.

"We must prepare us to fight it." said Evelyn.

"Which one? The shark or the fool?"

*

"This time we need a bigger boat!" said Gary the following day walking on the dock with Victor.

"You'll have it, the boss will lend you the _Wave Slasher_."

The two joined Evelyn and the boss near the boat. Donegal was loading the weapons against the shark.

The _Wave Slasher _was a big white (of course) boat, made of two floors. One were there was the commanding cabin and the other was under the deck.

"Do you know how to drive it?" asked the boss worried for his boat.

"Yes, boss…"

"Donegal, have you loaded the hypodermic spear and the guns?"

"Yes, I did!" shouted Donegal from the intern of the boat.

"Well, Gary, Evelyn…I wish you good luck!"

*

A quarter of hour later the boat left the harbour.  
The boss looked _Wave Slasher _until it disappeared in the light of the sun.


	4. Chapter 4

_Chapter 4_

Let us return to the little orange fish.

It reunited with its school and it was swimming with the other coloured fish near the reef.

Playing and spinning it managed to fall behind the others again. A cold current pushed it a little far from the reef. The fish saw its school stopping, it still could join them. The current became weaker so the fish took the advantage and swam faster towards the rocks. Suddenly an enormous creature passed in front of it ascending towards the surface. The shark didn't noticed such a little thing and continued to swim moving its tail.

Over the water a seagull was flying. It was very hungry. It saw the glare of silver fish and quickly dived to eat it. It succeeded and it stopped in the water to taste its prey.

The sea was calm all around. Not a sound, not a whisper.

One single exception: a black shark coming out of the water and eating the seagull.

*

Water, water everywhere. The land had disappeared some minutes before. The two coast guards were in a religious silence. The boat slid slowly in the ocean. Evelyn stopped the engine in the point where the two encountered the shark the first time.

"_Great white sharks are territorial _said that shark expert of Donegal." though Evelyn "So, we should be able so find it here again."

"Can I ask something?" said Gary suddenly.

"Yes…"

"What time is it?"

Evelyn expected something like _Evelyn, if something bad happens I…_ and he only asked what time it was!

"It's a quarter to two p.m. if you really want to know it! Why do you ask me that?"

"Because I'm hungry…"

_Childish _though Evelyn.

"Take a fishing rod then! Now seize the anchor and drop it, please."

Gary obeyed. The anchor sunk in the blue water with a resonant splash.

Evelyn brought another bloody lamb leg with a rope and threw it like the previous time.

"And now we wait…" said Evelyn

"I have another question…" said Gary moving his head.

"Few minutes have passed, Gary…"

"No. It's about the shark. How can we…kill it?"

"You won't kill that shark!" said a voice from the interior of the boat.

Donegal came out from his hideout pointing an handgun to Evelyn head.

"Donegal?"

"Why have you a gun in your hand?" asked Gary with a naïve voice.

"Sit down and shut up!" ordered Donegal.

Evelyn was petrified, she had never been so close to a weapon (and also to death).

"You're certainly questioning yourself on why I'm here too…" his voice was wicked.

"Well…yes we are."

"You won't kill that shark."

"You already said it…" mumbled Evelyn.

"You won't kill _my _shark!" shouted Donegal.

"What?"

"The man at the Aquarium…that was you, right?" said Evelyn.

"What a perceptive girl! Those fool scientists! They dare to close the most beautiful and strong of sea beings in a glass cage. I had to free it…it was suffering! Breaking the seals was difficult but I managed to release…_him_!"

"Don't you care about the people who died?"

"People? A stupid diver and an old swimmer that even survived! I don't think they are too much!"

"But…"

"Shut up! After all I did to protect the shark I'm going to let you kill it!" Donegal took Evelyn's arm and dragged her near the handgun.

"I knew that we should have gathered information about sharks on Internet and not from a mad shark expert!" exclaimed Gary.

Evelyn looked at the water where the lamb was hardly floating. Something grey was visible near it.

Both the coast guards knew what was going to happen.

"What do you intent to do with us, Donegal?" asked Gary to take time.

"Me? I think that your boss will see you soon…in the mortuary."

"What a nice place…"

The shark bit the lamb leg jumping out of the water. Donegal distracted, _Wave Slasher _(even if it was bigger than the other) swung and quickly Evelyn kicked Donegal's knee getting free from his seize.

"What the…"

Gary understood the situation and launched himself against Donegal's body beating him down on the boat floor. The handgun slipped away.

The shark was swallowing the leg.

"Damn them! I'm going to…" shouted Donegal fighting with Gary.

Evelyn was trying to catch the gun when the shark hit the boat and made her fall too.

"It's attacking the boat!" she cried.

"Why is it doing it? The boat is bigger!" replied Gary.

"I don't know!"

"It's the most stupid shark I've ever met! (After all it's the only shark I've ever met!)"

"Sharks are not stupid!" shouted Donegal struggling.

Gary wasn't what you call _a strong and very muscular guy _so he couldn't resist to much.

The shark stopped hitting the boat and dived.

"Evelyn, the spear!"

Evelyn went down looking for the spear…or something against sharks and men.

Donegal kicked Gary's belly, he managed to stand up and kicked Gary again knocking him out. He was completely out of mind: he took Gary's body saying "You're gonna to take a little bath now!"

Gary felt his body being carried away.

"No…" he whispered when Donegal tossed him in the water.


	5. Ending

_Chapter 5_

Blue and cold. The water was like this.

After having spent some hours in the light of the warm sun, that water was almost frozen. He felt myriads of bubbles passing over his body.

Gary was literally sinking.

He opened his eyes when he realized that he was swimming in the same water of a great white shark. He was now two meters under the surface of the sea. His legs ached. He saw a little cloud of blood spreading in the ocean.

"Oh no…" he though. Sharks like that were able to detect a drop of blood at miles of distance…perhaps not miles, but that shark was close enough to sense him. He begun to swim swiftly to reach the boat. What was happening there?

He needed to breath fresh air. He felt something moving near him.

_It's too late _he though and he automatically tuned his head and…he saw a little orange fish swimming close to him.

*

The shark was going away from the boat when it felt the irresistible taste of the blood. It altered it course and begun to swim towards the boat.

*  
In the meantime Evelyn wasn't amusing. There was a mad guy in the boat, Gary was knocked out and a big shark was attacking them!

She looked for the spear and a rifle.

"Evelyn…where are you? Don't you want to play with dolphins?" asked Donegal descending the stairs that leaded where she was.

"No, I don't!" she screamed hitting him with the weapon's handle. Donegal fell.

She ran outside on the dock and noticed that Gary wasn't there. Also the handgun disappeared.

"Dear child…stop your race. There are only we on the boat, your friend is taking a bath now." said Donegal coming on the dock with the gun in his hand.

"No, Gary!"

"Yes, it's strange that we miss something only after we loose it…"

"Well, you're gonna miss you beloved shark!" said a voice behind him.

Gary was completely soaked and was dripping, he was gasping but he managed to kick Donegal's belly making him fall to the floor (again).

Gary and Evelyn looked each other and before they could say anything the shark hit the boat.

"God, it hasn't a nothing else to do?" asked Gary.

The shark hopped out of the water and dived.

"Gary, take the spear!" ordered Evelyn giving the weapon to him "I keep the rifle."

The shark hit on the left side of _Wave Slasher_, Evelyn went there and saw the grey creature trying to bite the hull.

She shot two times.

A bullet went in the water but the other hit the shark's back.

She shot again striking the beast's dorsal fin. The water became vivid red for a little time.

The enraged shark struck the boat and made Evelyn totter.

Gary joined her and tried to reach the shark with the spear. She shot again and again. The shark jumped out trying to take her down and Gary pierced its body with the spear injecting the poison (a strange method to kill a shark, but effective). The shark fell in the water with a rain of pink drops.

"Stop where you are!" said Donegal raising. He was holding the right parapet.

"You're still alive?" asked Gary.

"Of course I…"

What happened then could be considered 'improbable'.

The boat was struck again. The shark understood that its preys were on that strange egg-like thing. Donegal lost his balance and risked to fall in the sea. He found himself with both arms and the chest out of the parapet. The shark's tail came out of the water with a foam wave and dragged him underwater.

"Guess what happened to him…" said Evelyn to Gary and the two ran to the right side and what they saw a great stain of blood floating on the surface.

"Let me understand…the shark is poisoned forever, the mad expert is dead and everyone's happy!" said Gary.

Evelyn looked at him and begun to laugh and said "Gary…you're an idiot!".

The shark was still there devouring his fan…its last meal. Perhaps it knew it was dying.  
From blue as a sapphire the water was turned red as a ruby.

_ The end_


End file.
